Spring-supported bow baffle for boats

ABSTRACT

A baffle disposed in front of the bow of a boat and generally conforming in shape and configuration therewith and being mounted from the boat hull for vertical swinging movement and longitudinal reciprocation with movement of the baffle being resisted by spring devices to absorb and cushion the forces normally exerted by oncoming waves onto the bow of a boat.

United States Patent Chancellor, Jr.

[ Feb. 15, 1972 SPRING-SUPPORTED BOW BAFFLE FOR BOATS Charles w. Chancellor, Jr., Midland, Tex.

Assignee: Chancellor Chair Company Filed: Dec. 31, 1969 Appl. No.: 889,391

Inventor:

U.S. Cl. ..l14/2l9, 114/66.5 R Int. Cl ..B63b 39/00 Field ofSearch ..1 14/219, 77, 665, 56,40,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/1957 Chadwick ..l14/77 X Yost ..114/66.5 991,224 5/1911 Moravszky Primary ExaminerMilton Buchler Assistant ExaminerGregory W. OConnor AttorneyClarence A. OBrien and Harvey B. Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT A bafile disposed in front of the bow of a boat and generally conforming in shape and configuration therewith and being mounted from the boat hull for vertical swinging movement and longitudinal reciprocation with movement of the baffle being resisted by spring devices to absorb and cushion the forces normally exerted by oncoming waves onto the bow of a boat.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU B 15 1972 SHEET 1 [IF 2 Fig. 2

Fig. 3

INVIL'N'I'UK 403%.

Auomq;

m and Charles M. Chancel/or, Jr.

SPRING-SUPPORTED BOW BAFFLE FOR BOATS The present invention generally relates to boat structures and more particularly to an auxiliary bow or baffle disposed forwardly of existing conventional bow of a boat hull, generally conforming in shape and configuration thereto and supported for resiliently biased relative movement for cushioning and absorbing shock forces normally imparted to the bow of the boat hull by impingement of oncoming waves.

When boat hulls are propelled through the water, waves striking the bow of the hull impart substantial shock forces thereto and cause movement of the hull in an erratic path as it moves partially through and partially over the waves in a manner well known to those which have encountered such waves when occupying a relatively small craft.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary bow or baffle that is mounted in forwardly spaced relation to the existing bow of a boat hull to engage the waves prior to the waves engaging the bow of the boat hull for absorbing shock and cushioning the forces normally exerted on the bow of the boat hull.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bow baffle generally conforming in shape and configuration to the bow of the boat hull and being mounted from the boat hull at points rearwardly of the bow to support the auxiliary baffle for vertical swinging movement about a transverse axis and longitudinal reciprocatory movement with both type movements being cushioned and resisted by spring structures.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bow baffle in accordance with the preceding objects in which the mounting structure is generally in the form of a yoke extending rearwardly from the bow baffle and being supported from a transverse pivot shaft that is connected with the boat hull by the use of a torsion spring to resiliently resist upward swinging movement of the bow baffle about a transverse axis. The interconnection between the yoke and the transverse shaft includes a slide assembly including a compression spring device to resist rearward movement of the bow baffle in relation to the bow of the hull.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a bow baffle for boat hulls in accordance with the preceding objects which is relatively simple in construction, easy to install, effective for cushioning and absorbing shock and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the forward portion of a boat hull illustrating the bow baffle of the present invention incorporated thereon.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1 illustrating the bow baffle in a normal extended position.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the bow baffle pushed rearwardly by a wave and compressing the spring as its moves to the rear.

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the vertical swinging movement of bow baffle and the relationship thereof to the bow of the boat hull, as taken along section line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bow baffle and the mounting structure therefor.

FIG. 6 is a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of FIG. 2 illustrating further structural details of the mounting structure for the bow baffle.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the auxiliary bow or bow baffle of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and is illustrated in association with a conventional boat hull generally designated by the numeral 12 having a conventional bow 14, an open cockpit l6, windshield 18, forward deck 20, gunwales 22 and the usual framing and structural arrangements employed in a conventional boat such as a cabin cruiser. runabout, speed boat or other various types of relatively small pleasure craft with it being pointed out that the bow baffle 10 of the present invention may be employed in combination with various types of conventional boat hulls with the bow baffle being disposed forwardly of the bow l4 and generally having the same shape and configuration as the bow 14 including a forward downwardly and rearwardly curved prow 24 and rearwardly curved side members 26 and 28 extending therefrom.

The bow baffle 10 includes a pair of rearwardly extending mounting rods or bars 30 and 32 which together with the members 26.and 28 generally define a yoke receiving the bow section 14 of the boat hull as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the mounting rods 30 and 32 extending rearwardly alongside of the gunwales 22 of the boat hull and terminating generally in alignment with the windshield l8.

Extending transversely of the boat hull 12 is a shaft 34 journaled in suitable bearings 36 attached to the gunwales 22 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Mounted on the shaft 34 is an elongated coil torsion spring 38 having one end thereof extending through and anchored to a diametric opening 40 adjacent one end of the shaft 34 and the other end extending laterally as at 42 and anchored to a bracket 44 on the inner surface of the gunwale 22 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Thus, the elongated axial coil spring 38 will serve as a torsion spring to resist rotation of the shaft 34 about its longitudinal axis which lies transverse of the boat hull 12.

Each end of the shaft 34 is provided with a sleeve or cylindrical bracket 46 rigidly affixed thereto with forwardly and rearwardly downwardly inclined mounting rods 48 secured thereto and terminating in sleevelike brackets 50 at the lower ends thereof which slidably receive the rear ends of the mounting rods 30 and 32 respectively as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Intermediate the sleeve-type brackets 50 is a compression coil spring 52 which has the rear end thereof abuttingly engaging the rearrnost bracket 50 and the forward end engaged with a collar 54 rigidly affixed to the rods 30 and 32 respectively thus forming an abutment which moves with the rods 30 and 32 so that the spring 52 will be compressed as the rods 30 and 32 move rearwardly from the position illustrated in FIG. 2 to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, the bow baffle is supported for longitudinal reciprocation by movement of the rods 30 and 32 through the sleeve brackets 50 with the spring 52 resiliently resisting the rearward movement of the bow bafile. At the same time, the bow baffle 10 is supported for swinging movement in a vertical direction about a transverse axis defined by the shaft 34 with such swinging movement being resiliently resisted by the torsion spring 38.

With this construction, an oncoming wave such as designated by numeral 56 as it approaches the bow 14 of the boat hull 12 will actually come into contact with the bow baffle 10 which in its normal position is generally horizontally disposed as illustrated in FIG. 2 so that the lower edge thereof is generally in the same horizontal plane as the bottom of the hull 12. As the wave 56 engages the bow baffle, it will be moved rearwardly as illustrated in FIG. 3 thus compressing the springs 52 which absorb and cushion the shock of engagement with the wave 56 which would normally have been exerted on the bow 14 of the boat hull 12. At the same time that a rearward force is exerted on the bow baffle, an upward force is also exerted thereon which swings the bow baffle 10 upwardly about the shaft 34. This upward movement is resisted by the torsion spring 38 thus further cushioning and absorbing the forces exerted by the wave on the bow baffle. While such forces are ultimately transmitted to the hull, they are cushioned and absorbed by the spring 38 and the spring 52 which will transmit the forces to the boat hull rearwardly of the bow thereof and generally at the central area of the boat hull so that such forces will not effect the attitude of the boat hull as much as if they were exerted on the hull at the bow. Thus, the path of the boat hull will be substantially more level and less erratic and at the same time, the boat hull will not be subjected to relatively rapid exertion of large forces thereby increasing the life expectancy of the hull and rendering the occupants of the boat more comfortable so that riding in such a boat may be more pleasurable.

The bow baffle may be constructed of various materials including wood, metals, plastic resins or the like with the mounting rods 30 and 32 and the mounting structure thereof preferably being of substantially rigid metal structures. The rearmost end portions of the rods 30 and 32 are substantially straight so that they will not bind during rearward movement of the bow bafile and the springs 52 are such that they will stop movement of the bow baffle rearwardly just prior to or substantially coincident with engagement of the bow baffle with the bow of the boat hull. The pivot axis defined by the shaft 34 and the curvature of the bow of the boat hull and the bow baffle may be calculated such that the degree of upward movement of the bow baffle may be determined or the bow baffle may be constructed that it will not engage the bow of the boat at any time so that it may move above the bow of the boat if desired.

The structure may be arranged so that it is easily detachable from the boat simply by disconnecting the components whenever desired. For example, the bracket 46 may be detachably secured to the ends of the shaft 34, while nonrotatively connecting these components so that swinging movement of the bow baffle will cause rotation of the shaft 34.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A baffle adapted to be disposed forwardly of the bow of a boat hull for engaging oncoming waves, absorbing and cushioning the forces thereof to enable the boat hull to attain a more level passage through the water, said baffle comprising an auxiliary bow having a shape and configuration generally similar to the bow of the boat hull, rearwardly extending mounting means connected to said auxiliary bow, and means connected with the rear portion of the mounting means for resiliently supporting the mounting means from a boat hull to enable relative longitudinal movement of the auxiliary bow and vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow, said lastnamed means including resilient means resisting rearward movement of the auxiliary bow and resilient means resisting vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow.

2. A baffle adapted to be disposed forwardly of the bow of a boat hull for engaging oncoming waves, absorbing and cushioning the forces thereof to enable the boat hull to attain a more level passage through the water, said baffle comprising an auxiliary bow having a shape and configuration generally similar to the bow of the boat hull, rearwardly extending mounting members connected to said auxiliary bow, and means connected with the rear portion of the mounting members for resiliently supporting the mounting members from a boat hull to enable relative longitudinal movement of the auxiliary bow and vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow, said last-named means including resilient means resisting rearward movement of the auxiliary bow and vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow, said means supporting the auxiliary bow including a shaft adapted to extend transversely of the boat hull, torsion spring means connected with the shaft and the boat hull to resist rotational movement thereof, and means nonrotatively connecting the rear ends of the mounting members with the shaft to oscillate the shaft during vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow with the torsion spring resisting such movement.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said means supporting the auxiliary bow also includes sleeve guide brackets rigidly supported from each end of the shaft and slidably receiving the rear end portions of said mounting members, and compression coil spring means operatively associated with the sleeve brackets and the mounting members to resiliently resist rearward movement of the auxiliary bow whereby the auxiliary bow may move against the action of a torsion spring in a vertical swinging direction and against the action of a compression spring in a rearward longitudinal direction thereby absorbing and cushioning shock normally imparted to the bow of the boat hull.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said shaft is adapted to be oriented adjacent the center of the boat hull so that forces imparted to the auxiliary bow will be transmitted to the boat hull adjacent the center thereof thereby reducing the effect of such forces upon the boat hull.

5. In combination with a boat hull having a bow, an auxiliary bow disposed forwardly of and adjacent the boat hull bow, said auxiliary bow including a baffle generally conforming to the shape and configuration of the boat hull bow, mounting members extending rearwardly from said bafile alongside the boat hull, and means mounting the mounting members on the boat hull for resiliently biased longitudinal reciprocation and vertical swinging movement about a transverse axis.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein said mount ing means includes transverse pivot means, torsion spring means operatively associated with said pivot means to resist pivoting movement thereof, slide means supported by said pivot means and slidably supporting said mounting members for longitudinal reciprocation, and spring means operatively associated with said mounting members and slide means to re sist longitudinal movement of the mounting members.

7. The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein the transverse axis of swinging movement for the mounting members is oriented above the mounting members and adjacent the central portion of the boat hull whereby forces imparted to the auxiliary bow ill be transmitted to the boat hull adjacent the central portion thereof and above the mounting members. 

1. A baffle adapted to be disposed forwardly of the bow of a boat hull for engaging oncoming waves, absorbing and cushioning the forces thereof to enable the boat hull to attain a more level passage through the water, said baffle comprising an auxiliary bow having a shape and configuration generally similar to the bow of the boat hull, rearwardly extending mounting means connected to said auxiliary bow, and means connected with the rear portion of the mounting means for resiliently supporting the mounting means from a boat hull to enable relative longitudinal movement of the auxiliary bow and vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow, said last-named means including resilient means resisting rearward movement of the auxiliary bow and resilient means resiSting vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow.
 2. A baffle adapted to be disposed forwardly of the bow of a boat hull for engaging oncoming waves, absorbing and cushioning the forces thereof to enable the boat hull to attain a more level passage through the water, said baffle comprising an auxiliary bow having a shape and configuration generally similar to the bow of the boat hull, rearwardly extending mounting members connected to said auxiliary bow, and means connected with the rear portion of the mounting members for resiliently supporting the mounting members from a boat hull to enable relative longitudinal movement of the auxiliary bow and vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow, said last-named means including resilient means resisting rearward movement of the auxiliary bow and vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow, said means supporting the auxiliary bow including a shaft adapted to extend transversely of the boat hull, torsion spring means connected with the shaft and the boat hull to resist rotational movement thereof, and means nonrotatively connecting the rear ends of the mounting members with the shaft to oscillate the shaft during vertical swinging movement of the auxiliary bow with the torsion spring resisting such movement.
 3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said means supporting the auxiliary bow also includes sleeve guide brackets rigidly supported from each end of the shaft and slidably receiving the rear end portions of said mounting members, and compression coil spring means operatively associated with the sleeve brackets and the mounting members to resiliently resist rearward movement of the auxiliary bow whereby the auxiliary bow may move against the action of a torsion spring in a vertical swinging direction and against the action of a compression spring in a rearward longitudinal direction thereby absorbing and cushioning shock normally imparted to the bow of the boat hull.
 4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said shaft is adapted to be oriented adjacent the center of the boat hull so that forces imparted to the auxiliary bow will be transmitted to the boat hull adjacent the center thereof thereby reducing the effect of such forces upon the boat hull.
 5. In combination with a boat hull having a bow, an auxiliary bow disposed forwardly of and adjacent the boat hull bow, said auxiliary bow including a baffle generally conforming to the shape and configuration of the boat hull bow, mounting members extending rearwardly from said baffle alongside the boat hull, and means mounting the mounting members on the boat hull for resiliently biased longitudinal reciprocation and vertical swinging movement about a transverse axis.
 6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein said mounting means includes transverse pivot means, torsion spring means operatively associated with said pivot means to resist pivoting movement thereof, slide means supported by said pivot means and slidably supporting said mounting members for longitudinal reciprocation, and spring means operatively associated with said mounting members and slide means to resist longitudinal movement of the mounting members.
 7. The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein the transverse axis of swinging movement for the mounting members is oriented above the mounting members and adjacent the central portion of the boat hull whereby forces imparted to the auxiliary bow ill be transmitted to the boat hull adjacent the central portion thereof and above the mounting members. 